Face guard frame, system and method

ABSTRACT

A face guard frame having a forehead support extending laterally across a forehead of a wearer during use, a connection point on the forehead support, side supports extending downwardly from the forehead support and extending about a face of a wearer during use, an upper crossbar, a lower crossbar, at least one blocking bar, and a chin plate. The upper crossbar may extend from a first side support to a second side support thereby forming a viewing region with the forehead support. The lower crossbar may extend from the first side support towards a chin area of a wearer during use of the face guard and to the second side support. The blocking bar may extend from the upper crossbar to the lower crossbar and the chin plate may be centrally located on an interior portion of the lower crossbar.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser.No. 12/977,857, filed Dec. 23, 2010, which itself claims priority toprovisional patent application Ser. No. 61/340,381, filed Mar. 17, 2010,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference hereinto.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to face masks used in varioussports to prevent injury, and more particularly, to a safety maskoperable for use in baseball or softball by an infielder, outfielder orother defensive player.

BACKGROUND

The sports of baseball and softball have evolved over time so as toaddress safety issues. For instance, helmets and face guards (alsoreferred to as face masks) have undergone various changes throughout theyears so as to provide greater safety for and reduce injury to a wearer.

Certain of these changes may affect the performance of a wearer. Forexample, the size, shape, and weight of face guards could potentiallyaffect a wearer's performance in baseball and/or softball. For instance,if the size of the face guard is too large or too small, slippage of theface guard may result, thereby comprising the wearer's performance andpossibly subjecting the wearer to injury. Further, the shape of the faceguard may fully or partially obstruct a wearer's view, therebycomprising the wearer's performance. Finally, the weight of the faceguard may affect the wearer's performance as added weight on a wearer'sbody may slow his/her speed.

Further, under certain circumstances, individuals may desire to share aface guard. In such circumstances, versatility in size and fit of a faceguard may be desired.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the teaching disclosed herein, embodiments related toa face guard frame, system, and method are disclosed.

One embodiment is directed to a face guard frame having a unitary facialsupport, an upper crossbar, a lower crossbar, at least one blocking bar,and a chin plate. The facial support may comprise a forehead supportextending laterally across a forehead of a wearer during use of the faceguard frame, at least one connection point located on the foreheadsupport, side supports extending downwardly from the forehead supportand extending about a face of a wearer during use of the face guardframe, and at least one connection point located on the first sidesupport. The upper crossbar may extend from the first side support tothe second side support. The unitary facial support and upper crossbarmay be connected so as to form a viewing region. The lower crossbar mayextend from the first side support towards a chin area of a wearerduring use of the face guard and to the second side support. The atleast one blocking bar may extend from the upper crossbar to the lowercrossbar so as to form at least one mouth region. The chin plate may becentrally located on an interior portion of the lower crossbar.

Another embodiment is directed to a face guard having a frame and a headstrap. a unitary facial support, an upper crossbar, a lower crossbar, atleast one blocking bar, and a chin plate. The facial support maycomprise a forehead support extending laterally across a forehead of awearer during use of the face guard frame, at least one connection pointlocated on the forehead support, side supports extending downwardly fromthe forehead support and extending about a face of a wearer during useof the face guard frame, and at least one connection point located onthe first side support. The upper crossbar may extend from the firstside support to the second side support. The unitary facial support andupper crossbar may be connected so as to form a viewing region. Thelower crossbar may extend from the first side support towards a chinarea of a wearer during use of the face guard and to the second sidesupport. The at least one blocking bar may extend from the uppercrossbar to the lower crossbar so as to form at least one mouth region.The chin plate may be centrally located on an interior portion of thelower crossbar.

The head strap may include a rear strap, a top strap, and at least tworetaining straps connecting the top strap to the rear strap to form anopening. The rear strap may extend from the first side support to thesecond side support, while the top strap may extend from the foreheadsupport.

Other embodiments include a method of using a face guard.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognizedby practicing the disclosure as described herein, including the detaileddescription which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description present example embodiments of thedisclosure, and are intended to provide an overview or framework forunderstanding the nature and character of the disclosure as it isclaimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated into andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate variousembodiments of the disclosure, and together with the detaileddescription, serve to explain the principles and operations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present subject matter may take form in various components andarrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements ofsteps. The appended drawings are only for purposes of illustratingexample embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the subjectmatter.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a face guard in accordance with oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a head strap in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a head strapsecured to a face guard in accordance with one example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of a chin pad in accordance withone example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of an embodiment of a chin pad in accordance withone example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a forehead support padin accordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an embodiment of a side support pad inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of an embodiment of a side support pad inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a face guard system inuse.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a face guard system inuse.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A detail description of exemplary embodiments for a face guard frame,system, and method will now be presented with reference to FIGS. 1-10.The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which example embodiments ofthe disclosure are shown. However, this disclosure may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. These example embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be both thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Likereference numbers refer to like elements throughout the variousdrawings. Further, as used in the description herein and throughout theclaims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes pluralreference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as usedin the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, themeaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable for a person to wear aface guard to minimize and/or prevent injury to the wearer's face duringcertain activities. Under certain circumstances, it may also bedesirable for a user of a face guard to adjust a position of a chin padsecured thereto. Under certain circumstances, it may also be desirableto interchange chin pads of varying shapes, sizes, styles, etc. on aface guard. Under certain circumstances, it may also be desirable tointerchange chin pads so as to obtain a custom fit, for sanitarypurposes, or for any other purpose. Under certain circumstances, it mayalso be desirable to provide a lighter, less bulky face guard that maybe utilized in conjunction with a chin pad. Under certain circumstances,it may also be desirable to provide a surface on a face guard forsecuring a chin pad thereto, wherein the surface is of minimal visualobtrusion. Under certain circumstances, it may also be desirable for auser to wear his/her hair in certain style and wear a face guard at thesame time.

Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide face guard and system thatmay be worn to aid in protecting a wearer's face from impact and injury.In certain embodiments, a surface is provided on a face guard forsecuring a chin pad thereto. In certain embodiments, a chin pad isprovided wherein the chin pad is removable and attachable from a surfaceof a face guard. In certain embodiments, a strap may be secured to theface guard, wherein the strap provides an opening to permit a user towear a desired hairstyle.

In one exemplary embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 9 and 10, a faceguard frame 1 is disclosed. The frame 1 may include a unitary facialsupport 32, an upper crossbar 3, a lower crossbar 4, and at least oneblocking bar 5. The unitary facial support 32 may comprise a foreheadsupport 2 and side supports 7 a,b which extend from respective distalends of the forehead support 2 and downwardly about a portion of a faceof a wearer during use. The forehead support 2 may include a foreheadsupport ridge 17 located thereon. The side supports 7 may connect theforehead support 2 to the lower crossbar 4. The downwardly extendingside supports 7 a,b may also be in the form of an extension of the lowercrossbar 4.

The at least one blocking bar 5 may extend from the upper crossbar 3 tothe lower crossbar 5 in a substantially vertical manner as depicted inFIGS. 1 and 9. However, the blocking bar 5 may extend from the uppercrossbar 3 to the lower crossbar 4 at varying angles. By way ofnon-limiting example, the blocking bar 5 may extend from the uppercrossbar 3 to the lower crossbar 4 at a substantially 45 degree anglefrom the upper crossbar 3.

In one embodiment, a chin plate 6 may be provided on a frame 1. The chinplate 6 may be located on an interior portion 24 of the lower crossbar4. The chin plate 6 may be permanently or removably secured to the lowercrossbar 4. In addition or in the alternative, the chin plate 6 may bepermanently or removably secured to the blocking bar(s) 5. Certain meansfor permanently securing the chin plate 6 to the lower crossbar 4 and/orblocking bar(s) 5 include, but are not limited to, welding. In thealternative, the entire frame 1 may be formed via injection or othertypes of molding. In such manner, the entire frame 1 may be of a singleconstruction.

The chin plate 6 may be of a certain size and shape so as to minimizethe overall weight of the frame 1, and may provide a strong base forattachment of a chin pad 18.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 4-6, a chin pad 18 may be of acertain size and shape, and include a concave side surface 25 and convexside surface 26. The chin pad 18 may include a recessed portion 19 foraccommodation of a user's chin. The chin pad 18 may comprise anymaterial or combination of materials, including, but not limited to,foam and/or cloth. Further, the concave side surface 25 and the convexside surface 26 may be of the same material or combination of materials,or may differ. By way of non-limiting example the convex side surface 26may comprise a rigid material, including, but not limited to, a resin orresin-based material, to provide support, while the concave side surface25 may comprise a foam material.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 3-4, a means for fastening thechin pad 18 to the chin plate 6 may be provided. A fastening means 14 amay be located on a chin plate 6. In addition or in the alternative, afastening means 14 d may be located on a convex side surface 26 of achin pad 6. The fastening means 14 a,d may include, but need not belimited to, adhesive, hook and loop type fastening means, and/or snaps.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 2-3 and 10, a head strap 9having an opening 27 may be provided such that a user may wear a frame 1while wearing certain hairstyles. The head strap 9 may include a rearstrap 10 and a top strap 11. The top strap 11 may extend over a topportion of a user's head when the frame 1 is worn, while the rear strap10 may extend across the rear portion of a user's head when the frame 1is worn. The rear strap 10 and top strap 11 may be connected viaretaining straps 12 a,b so as to form an opening 27. By way ofnon-limiting example and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the opening 27 maybe formed by the retaining straps 12 a,b and the rear strap 20, therebycreating a triangular-shaped opening 27. The opening 27 permits a userto wear the frame 1 while wearing a hairstyle in which his/her hairand/or hair accessory 24 may extend through the opening 27. Suchhairstyle may include, but need not be limited to, a ponytail 24 asshown in FIG. 10, bun, and hairstyles in which hair is tied back.Although a triangular-shaped opening 27 is shown, other shaped openings27 may be utilized.

In the alternative, a head strap 9 without an opening 27 may be utilizedin conjunction with the face guard 1 (not shown). By way of non-limitingexample, the head strap 9 may be formed by the top strap 11 and rearstrap 10 intersecting at a substantially 90 degree angle to form a “T”.

Further, although the opening 27 is shown as being formed by tworetaining straps 12 a,b, the opening 27 may be formed by the top strap11 extending directly to the rear strap 10 and a retaining strap 12 aextending from the top strap 11 to the rear strap 10 as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3 and 9, the head strap 9 may include an adjuster 13so as to permit a user to create a customized fit of the face guardsystem 20. For example, a user may place the frame 1 about his/her headand tighten and/or loosening the rear strap 10 and/or top strap 11 asdesired. In the alternative, a user may elect to tighten and/or loosenthe rear strap 10 and/or the top strap 11 prior to placing the faceguard system 20 about his/her head. Although FIGS. 2-3 and 9 depict anadjuster 13, other means for adjusting the head strap 9 may be utilized.

The head strap 9 may be removably secured to the frame 1 at a variety oflocations on the frame 1. Such points of connection between the headstrap 9 and the frame 1 may also be referred to as connection points 28.As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, a top strap end 29 may be threaded through anaperture 8 c located on the frame 1 so as to create a connection point28. Similarly, a first and second rear strap ends 30 a,b may be threadedthrough apertures 8 a,b located on the side supports 7 a,b. However,other means for securing the head strap 9 to the frame 1 may beutilized.

For example, the head strap 9 may be removably secured to the frame 1utilizing varying securing means including, but not limited to, clips,clamps, snaps, buttons, brackets, adhesive, and/or hook and loop typefastening means. The head strap 9 may include a securing means locatedon a top strap end 29 and/or rear strap end 30. In addition or in thealternative, the securing means may be located on the frame 1. Finally,the head strap 9 may be permanently secured directly to the frame 1 atdesired connection points 28.

Moreover, the head strap 9 may be secured to the frame 1 via variousmethods at various connection points 28. For instance and as shown inFIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the head strap 9 may be threaded through apertures 8a,b,c located on the frame 1. In addition or in the alternative, thehead strap 9, or portions thereof, may wrap around one or more portionsof the frame 1, thereby forming a connection point 28. By way ofnon-limiting example, the rear strap ends 30 a,b may wrap around a sidesupport 7 a,b of the frame 1. In addition or in the alternative, a topstrap end 29 may wrap around a forehead support 2 of the frame 1.

The head strap 9 may be of any material or combination of materials,including, but not limited to, elastic, cloth, fabric, foam, plastic,rubber, paper, and/or cardboard.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, a forehead supportinterior surface 31 may include a means for fastening 14 c a foreheadsupport pad 23 to the forehead support interior surface 31. Thefastening means 14 c may include, but need not be limited to, adhesive,hook and loop type fastening means, and/or snaps. In addition or in thealternative, a fastening means 14 e may be located on the foreheadsupport pad 23, as shown by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 6. Theforehead support pad 23 may include raised portions 31 thereon.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIG. 3, an interior portion of a sidesupport 7 b may include a means for fastening 14 b a side support pad 22to the interior portion of the side support 7 b. The fastening means 14b may include, but need not be limited to, adhesive, hook and loop typefastening means, and/or snaps. In addition or in the alternative, afastening means 14 f may be located on the side support pad 22, as shownby way of non-limiting example in FIG. 8.

In one embodiment, the forehead support pad 23 and/or side support pad22 may include raised portions 31. However, various shapes, sizes, andconstructions of a forehead support pad 23 and/or side support pad 22may be utilized.

The embodiments described above provide advantages over conventionaldevices and associated systems and methods. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madeto the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure coverthe modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they comewithin the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.Furthermore, the foregoing description of the disclosure and best modefor practicing the disclosure are provided for the purpose ofillustration only and not for the purpose of limitation—the disclosurebeing defined by the claims.

1. A face guard frame comprising: a unitary facial support comprising aforehead support configured to extend laterally across a forehead of awearer and having a connection point for receiving a head strap, firstand second side supports extending downwardly from the distal ends ofthe forehead support and about a portion of the wearer's face, each ofsaid first and second side supports having at least one connection pointfor receiving a head strap; an upper crossbar extending from the firstside support to the second side support, wherein the unitary facialsupport and upper crossbar form a viewing region; a lower crossbarextending from the first side support towards a chin area of a wearerduring use of the face guard and to the second side support; at leastone blocking bar extending from the upper crossbar to the lower crossbarto form at least one mouth region; and a chin plate centrally located onan interior portion of the lower crossbar.
 2. The face guard frame ofclaim 1, further comprising: a chin pad removably securable to the chinplate.
 3. The face guard frame of claim 1, further comprising: aforehead support pad removably securable to an interior surface of theforehead support.
 4. The face guard of claim 1, further comprising: sidesupport pads removably securable to an interior surfaces of the firstand second side supports.
 5. The face guard of claim 1, wherein theforehead support connection point for receiving a head strap is anaperture.
 6. The face guard of claim 1, wherein the first and secondside support connection points for receiving a head strap is areapertures.
 7. A face guard system comprising: a frame comprising: aunitary facial support comprising: a forehead support extendinglaterally across a forehead of a wearer during use of the face guardframe; at least one connection point located on the forehead support; afirst side support extending downwardly from the forehead support andextending about a face of a wearer during use of the face guard frame; asecond side support downwardly extending downwardly from the foreheadsupport and extending about a face of a wearer during use of the faceguard frame; and at least one connection point located on the first sidesupport; an upper crossbar extending from the first side support to thesecond side support, wherein the unitary facial support and uppercrossbar form a viewing region; a lower crossbar extending from thefirst side support towards a chin area of a wearer during use of theface guard and to the second side support; at least one blocking barextending from the upper crossbar to the lower crossbar to form at leastone mouth region; a chin plate centrally located on an interior portionof the lower crossbar; and a head strap comprising: a rear strapextending from the first side support to the second side support; a topstrap extending from the forehead support; and at least one retainingstrap connecting the top strap to the rear strap so as to form anopening.
 8. The system of claim 6 further comprising: a chin padremovably securable to the chin plate.
 9. The system of claim 6 furthercomprising: A fastening means located on the chin plate for removablysecuring a chin pad thereto.
 10. The system of claim 8 furthercomprising: A fastening means located on the chin pad for removablysecuring the chin pad to the chin plate.
 11. The system of claim 6wherein the rear strap is removably connected to the first side support.12. The system of claim 6 further comprising: an aperture located on thefirst side support sized and shaped for insertion of at least a portionof the rear strap therethrough.
 13. The system of claim 6 wherein thetop strap is removably connected to the forehead support.
 14. The systemof claim 6 further comprising: an aperture located on the foreheadsupport sized and shaped for insertion of at least a portion of the topstrap therethrough.
 15. The system of claim 6 further comprising: ameans for adjusting a length of the rear strap.
 16. The system of claim6 further comprising: a means for adjusting a length of the top strap.17. A method of using a face guard system comprising a frame comprising:a unitary facial support comprising a forehead support configured toextend laterally across a forehead of a wearer and having a connectionpoint for receiving a head strap, first and second side supportsextending downwardly from the distal ends of the forehead support andabout a portion of the wearer's face, each of said first and second sidesupports having at least one connection point for receiving a headstrap; an upper crossbar extending from the first side support to thesecond side support, wherein the unitary facial support and uppercrossbar form a viewing region; a lower crossbar extending from thefirst side support towards a chin area of a wearer during use of theface guard and to the second side support; at least one blocking barextending from the upper crossbar to the lower crossbar to form at leastone mouth region; and a chin plate centrally located on an interiorportion of the lower crossbar;r a head strap comprising: a rear strapextending from the first side support to the second side support; a topstrap extending from the forehead support; and at least one retainingstrap connecting the top strap to the rear strap so as to form anopening; and a chin pad removably securable to the chin plate, themethod comprising the steps of: positioning the head strap over a user'shead, such that the top strap extends over at least a top portion of theuser's head and the rear strap extends laterally across a rear portionof the user's head; and positioning the frame over a user's face, suchthat the chin pad is adjacent to a user's chin.
 18. The method of claim16, further comprising a step of: adjusting the chin pad to a desiredposition on the chin plate.